Examining school accidents: the most common causes

By Susanne McGraw September 5th 2017

They say your school years should be the best of your life – although not all of us would agree with that statement! But on a serious note, these days, can you be sure that school years are the safest of your kids’ lives?

Well, you’d like to think so, as each and every school clearly has a duty of care towards its pupils. Yet, as we all know too well, accidents happen in life and school, if anything, is more likely to be the place kids will suffer an injury at some time or other (it’s where they spend most of their time, from the age of 5-17 after all). So, what kind of accidents are most common at school?

Injury involving school playground environment/equipment

While the simple spaces of traditional school yards still exist, many schools now provide play equipment and custom-designed features for children to enjoy during intervals – such as climbing frames or landscaping. Injuries suffered when in contact with these are very common, e.g. a fall from a wall or play bars. Of course, cuts and bruises are part of growing up. But it’s still the school’s responsibility to make sure these play areas are as safe as they can be for all children.

Slips or trips on school walking surfaces

Keeping schools clean, tidy and well-maintained is an endless task. That can involve wet slippery surfaces due to cleaning or polishing and uneven surfaces due to running repairs. And this often leads to slips or trips. Again, the school must put warning measures in place to help avoid this.

Injuries on the school playing fields

Not every school is fortunate enough to have extensive grounds. But most will have a sports ground or access to one. Injuries caused during games are common (and almost unavoidable). The school must have proper First Aid equipment and procedure plus a qualified First Aider on hand for this.

School bus/school trip

We don’t like to think about it but accidents involving a school bus or during a school trip do sometimes happen. And though this may be outside the school premises, the school is still responsible for the care of its pupils, with proper procedures in place if something happens.

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